Want to write a novel? There's basically just one thing you need to do: get started and keep going. Your enthusiasm for writing is an indicator that you can do it, if you persist. In this article, we'll look at three essential keys to success.
I wrote and sold my first novel over 30 years ago, as part of a multi-book package. I gave myself ten years to write and sell; it took just six months. I credit the three keys I'm about to share with you for my quick success.
Let's look at the keys now.
1. Set yourself a daily goal for the number of words you'll write that day. Never go to bed without writing those words. Consider that most novels are somewhere between 60,000 and 100,000 words. Consistency in writing is a huge secret, and now you know it.
Schedule your time for writing each day, and get up from your desk only after you've written your daily stint. When you start out, aim low. You can write a couple of hundred words quickly. Avoid constant editing as you write, this disrupts your creativity. You'll have plenty of time to edit when you complete your novel.
2. Have fun with your writing: feel free to write junk. If you're wise, you'll let your creative subconscious mind do the work for you. Just write whatever comes, in that day's writing session.
Allow yourself to be creative. Perhaps one character takes control: stay with it. Remember that editing comes later. Accept what you write today. Eliminate judgement as much as you can.
3. Plot and plan later. Avoid plotting until your novel is well under way. Logic, when you apply it too soon, can kill your inspiration. It's fine not to know where your novel is headed. If all you have in mind is a single mental picture, or character, go with that.
I rarely plot until I've written at least 10,000 words. At this stage, I've created my characters, and have some idea of where I want to take them. Some writers write the entire first draft of their novel without bothering to plan or plot at all.
Some novelists need the structure of a plot. Perhaps you do. If so, I urge you to plot minimally. Allow your creative consciousness out to play. Keep your writing fun as you write each day.
You now have three essential strategies which will help you to write a novel, and get published.
I wrote and sold my first novel over 30 years ago, as part of a multi-book package. I gave myself ten years to write and sell; it took just six months. I credit the three keys I'm about to share with you for my quick success.
Let's look at the keys now.
1. Set yourself a daily goal for the number of words you'll write that day. Never go to bed without writing those words. Consider that most novels are somewhere between 60,000 and 100,000 words. Consistency in writing is a huge secret, and now you know it.
Schedule your time for writing each day, and get up from your desk only after you've written your daily stint. When you start out, aim low. You can write a couple of hundred words quickly. Avoid constant editing as you write, this disrupts your creativity. You'll have plenty of time to edit when you complete your novel.
2. Have fun with your writing: feel free to write junk. If you're wise, you'll let your creative subconscious mind do the work for you. Just write whatever comes, in that day's writing session.
Allow yourself to be creative. Perhaps one character takes control: stay with it. Remember that editing comes later. Accept what you write today. Eliminate judgement as much as you can.
3. Plot and plan later. Avoid plotting until your novel is well under way. Logic, when you apply it too soon, can kill your inspiration. It's fine not to know where your novel is headed. If all you have in mind is a single mental picture, or character, go with that.
I rarely plot until I've written at least 10,000 words. At this stage, I've created my characters, and have some idea of where I want to take them. Some writers write the entire first draft of their novel without bothering to plan or plot at all.
Some novelists need the structure of a plot. Perhaps you do. If so, I urge you to plot minimally. Allow your creative consciousness out to play. Keep your writing fun as you write each day.
You now have three essential strategies which will help you to write a novel, and get published.
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